Ice box or refrigerator



' C. S. JOHNSON ICE BOX OR REFRIGERATOR Filed sept. 18, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 61H10: ne

" c. s. JoHNsoN ICE BOX 0R REFRIGERATOR May l5, 1923. 1,455,003

Filed sept. 18. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented May '1.15, 1923.

UNITED .s

.lvrEhVl OFI-fics.

CLIFFORD 8. JOE-NSON, 0F MOBILE, ALABMA, ASSIGNOR 0F QNE-HALF T0 MORELAND M. MARSH, 0F MOBILE, ALABAMA.,

I-oE Box on REERIGERATOR.

Application led September 18, 1922. Serial No. 589,021.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CLIFFORD S. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IceBoxes or Re` frigerators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an ice box or refrigerator and it has for its object to provide an improved device of this characterv constructed in such manner that ready a'cbe had to the several comp-artmen'ts t ereof, while at the same time the entry of air to either the ice or storage compartment will be prevented, whenthe covers i of said compartments 'are closed.

With the foregoing objects in view, I provide an ice box comprising a plurality of compartments one of which serves as an ice compartment and cools the other compartmentsl and all of which compartments are provided with water retaining troughs therearound into which elements carried by the several covers, enter, when the covers are closed, the water then forming a water seal to positively prevent the entry of air to the several compartments as well, as to prevent entry of ants or other insects.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a structure of the character indicated provided with means wherein the drip from the ice compartment is utilized to cool a supply of drinking water under pressure.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed de,

scription which follows.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ice box or refrigerator constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional l view therethrough;

box 5 is an inner box, preferably formed of metal and indicated at 7 and which inner box may be sultably insulated by insulating material 8 placed between it and the-wooden outer box 5. The inner box 7 is divided by sheet metal walls 9 and 10 into the three compartments 11, 12 and 13.

partment-sand receive the objects which it 1s' deslred to maintain in a chilled condit1on. If desired, ledges 14 and 15 may be provlded Within the compartments 11 and 13 for the reception of shelves (not shown). These several compartments are provided with hinged doors orlids 16, 17 and 18 and these doors carry depending sheet metal flanges 19, 2() and 21, the lower edges of which enter a body of water 22 in a troughhke structure 23 which extends around each of the compartments adjacent the top thereof. The lower edges of the flanges 19, 20 and 2l extending below the upper edges of said trough so that the water within the troughwill constitute a water seal for positlvely excluding air from the several compartments when the lids are closed and serving in addition to positively prevent the entry Of-ants or other insects.

The compartment l2 is provided with a false bottom 24, said false bottom being spaced from the main bottom of the inner metallic box 7 by supports 25 so that a space 26 is left beneath the false bottom wit-hin which the `drip water from a block of ice supported upon the false bottom may collect. A drinking water service supply pipe 27 enters the box at 28 and extendsl trough 22, as indicated at 32 and turn the upper end of this pipe down in goose neck fashion, as indicated at 33 and provide a float valve 34 at the outlet of said pipe, said fioat valve being held in place by a cage 35. This structure serves to keep the water level within the trough 22 at a given point and without any attention upon the The compartments 11 and 13 are cold storage comwal-f.

part of the user of the refrigerator.' If the water level, throu h evaporation or otherwise, falls below t edeslred point, the float valve will open and permit a small additional quantityV of-water to enter to bring the water level back to the desired point whereupon the rise of the float will cause the valve 34 carried by the float to seat within the mouth of the pipe .and cut olf the further entry of water to the trough. A drain cock 36 is provided for draining the water from the trough when desired and at this time a valve 37 in the pipe 32 may be closed. A drain pipe 38 leads from the space 26 beneath the false bottom 24 and provides means for drawing off the water from said compartment when desired. This pipe may be provided with a cock 39 if desired.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. In an ice box construction an outer box and an inner box, the latter being divided into three compartments, the central one of which constitutes an ice compart-v ment, the other of said compartments be- 'ing chilled by the ice in said central compartment, a water receiving trough extending about the upper portions of all of said compartments and a cover for each of said compartments, each of said covers having a depending Harige extending entirely therearound and entering the water in said trough when said covers are in closed posi-A tion as and for the purposes stated, a service water supply pipe extending through the ice receiving compartment, a branch exone `of which constitutes an ice compart-.

ment, the other of said compartments being chilled by the ice in said central compartment, a water receiving trough extending about the upper portions of all of said compartments and a cover for each of said compartments, each of said covers having a v depending flange extending entirely therearound and entering the water in said trough when said covers are in closed position as and for the purposes stated, a false bottom for the ice receiving compartment, a service water supply pipe extending through the ice compartment beneath said false bottom, a branch leading from the service Water supply pipe into the trough and a float valve for controlling the flow v of water from said branch to the said trough.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature.

CLIFFORD s. '.i'ointsou.` 

